Wearing Letters

[Cardinal026]

I had a question for everyone. Today we had our first chapter meeting of the semester, and they made announced a big change for us. Tradition for sororities on our campus, Chi Omega included, has been that you don't wear letters until you're initiated. My GM made it clear that while Chi Omega said that if you're a new member, you can wear anything except the crest, it was tradition, and exciting to look forward to wearing letters at initiation. Which is how all of us treated it. But someone decided that by suggesting to new members not to wear letters, we've been hazing (in my case, was hazed ) and so now in order to change that, our chapter will be buying letters for our spring class. I understand where our advisors are coming from, it's just such a big change from what I'm used to, and what I worked so hard for, the honor of wearing letters. How is this on your campuses? Do new members wear stitched twill letters?

[ADPiAkron]

Sorry to barge in on your thread...but this same thing happened when I was a collegiate. When I was a new member we could not wear letters until after we were initiated. We just wore Alpha Delta Pi written out. Now they can wear them before....and it is the same thing with the crest...they cannot wear that until initiated.

I thought it was weird because it was a tradition for so long, but when ADPi Internationals told us it was hazing we had no choice but to change. At first it is weird...but we have gotten used to it. Maybe just start a new tradition with your crest!!

[xok85xo]

my bid day shirt were the fabric letters. the only thing we were not allowed to wear was the crest, and the badge (obviously)..i see nothing wrong with new members wearing letters.

[Hootie]

We were the opposit. We had letters and all that jaz on everything at pledges. The only thing we couldn't possess was the crest, which really, you don't see too often anyways. I suppose I can see your point, but I don't think it's a big deal (at least it isn't to me). I was proud to be strutting around in my letters as a pledge, and the sisters wanted us to wear them so everyone knew we were Chi Omegas. Not to mention, being able to wear letters right away made us pledges feel more apart of the group.

[XOAlumXO]

I think nationally, pledges aren't allowed to wear the crest. Personally, I don't even own a shirt with our crest on it. I always thought it was neat to wear our letters from the start.

At UCF, we had 'jersey day' - Wed, I believe, and just about everyone who was Greek would wear the official jersey. Ours was red, and our letters in yellow. This was usually a present from your big sis on the day of your initiation. That's the only thing we had to 'wait' on, but it made it very special to finally get to wear the jersey. Other than that, we could sport our letters as early as bid day!

[babyhootie]

Our chapter's tradition is that pledges (new members! ) couldn't wear stitched letters until we got our Big Sisters... so the first set of stitched letters were our family letters! Like, we got hand-me down stitched letters during our C-H-I-O week, but we couldn’t wear them until we got our bigs..... I like the tradition because it means that the first set of letters you wear were made JUST FOR ME!!! hehehehe Plus, we got so much Chi-O stuff from hand-me-down day that I didn't feel like I couldn't visibly represent my membership, you know?

[CardinalSM]

In Psi Gamma, new members can wear letters from Day one! The crest as well as jerseys are not to be worn until initiation.

BTW, we had Bid Day yesterday for our 5 new members!!! They looked so cute today in their letter shirts! I love being GM!

[Hootie]

My University's book store used to sell a car decale that was the crest of Chi Omega. I remember us pledges were told we couldn't put them on our car until we were initiated. Personally I never wanted one...I was more into the license plate holder.

[NutBrnHair]

Ummm...the pledge (new member) pin has the letters on it -- they should wear letters from the beginning.

[babyhootie]

NutBrnHair, you make a great point... but I can also see my EC's eyes roll if I ever suggested that

[xo_kathy]

My chapter didn't allow NM to wear their letters either, but we were eventually corrected by our Chapter Visitor (NC now, I guess, right?). I know it's "fun" to do that stuff, and you "didn't feel hazed" etc. etc., but it's just a rule we have to follow and that's that. 5 years form now no one will even remember the previous tradition.

[33girl]

Pardon my barge...

but I think even if NMs are allowed to wear stitched letters and NMs of other chapters on campus do not they probably won't either...they won't want to feel different or have other groups perceive that they have an "easier" pledgeship.

[xo_kathy]

We don't mind barging, 33!

But I'm confused by your statement - are you saying the Chi O chapter in question will continue to NOT allow NMs to wear letters because the other houses on campus don't allow their NMs to wear them? That would be defying not only their chapter advisors but our National policy as well. I certainly hope they do stop the "no letters before initiation" tradition!

If you mean it might just be a hard tradition to break, I agree. But I also think if those NM get pretty new letters on Bid Day, they are going to wear them as much as possible - especially if the chapter is supportive of them!

[33girl]

no, it's not a question of "allowing." What I mean is even if the pledge mom (or whatever she's called in Chi O) and the chapter say "you are allowed to wear letters before initiation", if the Mu Mu's, Nu Nu's and Pu Pu's (LOL) on campus do NOT wear letters before initiation I doubt that the Chi O NMs will want to. And for the chapter to pressure them to do so would be hazing, too.

It's kind of like if your parents buy you a very expensive coat but everyone else in your social circle wears jean jackets from the thrift store. You won't wear that coat because you don't want to stand out, even if it is something you really like and is nicer than what's in.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally posted by 33girl
the Mu Mu's, Nu Nu's and Pu Pu's (LOL)

Gotta keep up with the "Pu Pus!" LOL!